Impressive amount of site prep visible here:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a0021724_b.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/droneshot

Great shot!

From this angle, it has a real One Oak vibe—materiality, window pattern, curvature, etc.

1977 deserves credit for finding the site this came from and he posted this image in the 1500 Mission thread (the building I think you are talking about). But I also noticed it shows the site prep for 30 Otis across the street and I had thought that was still basicly just a cleared lot. However the image clearly shows active site prep work at 30 Otis which is why I posted it.

**Sunday, June 16, 2019**

No change appears from the May 3 aerial. However, whenever Malcom is on site it can be hard to tell what level of work is happening. Could all be subterranean.

https://i916.photobucket.com/albums/...szbb2dy4c.jpeg

June 29, 2019 . . . by mthd:

http://www.431.org/ssp/0256-ballet.jpg

They are making real headway now in digging a deep hole:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...443999/enhance

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/ser...443996/enhance

you beat me to it, but fwiw

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6486569a_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f5bca214_b.jpg

looking west

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...77c8df9d_b.jpg

Looks about fully dug:

http://www.431.org/ssp/0939-chessWideAerial-s.jpg
mthd @ http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...214479&page=10

^^what a great shot, that area around civic center is really blowing up...

I assume he must have a drone. There's no building this tall at this location. I admit I reposted the photo from the original location because I want to encourage some of our great photographers (or at least good photographers with great equipment) to take more notice of what's going on just across the street from the 1500 block of Mission St. That project is nearly complete--this one's going to be in progress now for a year or two.

The most interesting thing about this project (30 Otis) is how quickly it's getting built: Only about a year from the the first public notice of the proposal to turning dirt. Some of the other projects in "The Hub" have been around for years with no progress.

crane going up

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...84a3c744_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...365fb0bf_b.jpg

Even with just this and the 1500 Mission project, this intersection is going to feel soooooo different. I am very much looking forward to the Hub filling in.

me too, and sort of a tangent, but I sometimes wonder if a roundabout wouldn't be a good solution for this intersection, with all the streets hitting it at not-right angles, and all the basically wasted space in the middle. I think the current plan is to slim things down a bit with widened sidewalks and of course the re-work of the intersection with 12th St that is part of this project, but if nicely done, a roundabout could both add some class as well as probably move traffic more efficiently

It’s funny you say that; I’ve always thought SF could use a large, celebrated roundabout here as well. I thought it was only me, after a trip to Mexico City, that encouraged the idea. :cheers:

Van Ness and Market, way back when

https://opensfhistory.org/Download/wnp71.0583.jpg

hey, right on. one potential snag did occur to me after I posted that: the traffic volumes are large enough here that I think northbound it backs up to this intersection during a red light at Van Ness and Market sometimes, or often. that might gum this up. 'course, maybe you could have another one at that intersection, bring that statue in pseudolus' post back (is that the one at Market and Dolores now? or is that Simón Bolívar?)...

Burnham's plan for Civic Center, 1905

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...er_crop%29.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...er_crop%29.png

I think as far as car traffic is concerned, if they kept the red lights at North/South Van Ness then the roundabout would work. However, I don't know how they could get the muni to work efficiently, it would allow all cars (N. onto Van Ness from W. Market, or S. onto Van Ness from E. Market) to drive over the muni tracks. I also don't think it would be good for pedestrians, you basically have to stop all cars going all directions to allow pedestrians to cross. Otherwise you have to stop cars at each street exit, creating a back up of cars inside the roundabout. Another option to not disrupt the current street flow is to make the center island very small, basically a median and not a true roundabout.

I too would love to see a Mexico City style roundabout, but I'll keep my expectations low.

BTW, what is that square building in the old pic with all the round arches? It's one of my favorites to drive by.